The Logic and Practice of the Prevention of Mental Disorders

Abstract The field of public health has a long, successful history of health promotion and disease prevention, including efforts relevant to mental health problems. Recent years have been marked by a dramatic increase in the development, implementation, and assessment of approaches to prevent the incidence of mental disorders. This chapter examines the rationale for prevention, the theories and methods that inform prevention science, the prevention strategies being employed across developmental stages and at multiple ecological levels, and emerging directions for the prevention field.